On Tuesday, Aug.2, eight teams of Iowa youth (grades 9-12) participated in the sixth annual Crop Scouting Competition. The teams were scored on their knowledge of crop insects, diseases, growth and development, and weed identification with a written test and field stations located throughout the Field Extension Education Lab in Boone, Iowa. The teams prepared months in advance for a chance to win cash prizes and an opportunity to compete at the Regional Crop Scouting Competition on Aug. 31.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach specialists served as judges at each of the eight field stations (field stations were: insects, weeds, diseases, nematodes, nitrogen damage, growth stages, plant populations and morphology). Specialists tested each team's knowledge on the topic at hand, but also took the time to talk with the kids and answer questions. The overall goal of the competition is for youth to learn more about integrated pest management (IPM) and scouting, and have the chance to learn and interact with ISU Extension and Outreach specialists.
(Click photos for a larger view)
Individual and overall winners were announced at the end of the day. The top two overall winning teams advance to the Regional Crop Scouting Competition on Aug. 31, and the top four overall winning teams receive a trophy and cash prize. Overall team winners are as follows:
1st Place: Clayton County Team #1
Students: Ted Hilgerson, Andrey Shirbroun, Cole Deitchler, Melanie Lane, and Matt Whittle (Clayton County 4-H members)
Coaches: Joe and Suzanne Shirbroun with Pioneer Seed in Farmersburg, Iowa
2nd Place: Kuhlmann Seed
Students: Brady Fredrick, Hannah Holdsworth, and Connor Garrett
Coach: Randall Kuhlmann of Kuhlmann Seed in Denison, Iowa
3rd Place: Clayton County Team #2
Students: Max Gibson, Jon Whittle, Cassidy Penrod, Laci Orr, and Tommy Whittle (Clayton County 4-H members)
Coaches: Joe and Suzanne Shirbroun with Pioneer Seed in Farmersburg, Iowa
4th Place: Guthrie Center FFA
Students: Caleb Finnegan, Landon Foster, and Jonathon Lauritsen
Coach: Jim Calvert, Guthrie Center FFA Advisor
Regional Crop Scouting Competition
Clayton County Team #1 and Kuhlmann Seed will participate in the upcoming Regional Crop Scouting Competition on Aug. 31 at the Field Extension Education Lab in Boone, Iowa, where they will compete against the top two teams from the University Nebraska-Lincoln Crop Scouting Competition and the Purdue University Crop Scouting Competition.
Thank you to all the youth participants and team leaders who took part in this year's Crop Scouting Competition! We hope you learned a lot, and we enjoyed having you!
Related Links:
Promotional Video for 2016 Crop Scouting Competition
Video: Students Compete at Crop Scouting
Radio: Live from the 2016 Crop Scouting Competition (beginning at 30:40)
Upcoming Field Extension Education Lab Events
Photos by Jody Korthaus
Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Integrated Crop Management News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on August 5, 2016. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.